Latest Detroit Pistons Turmoil Is Years In The Making

Feb 5, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Maurice Cheeks reacts from the sidelines against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

When I heard that Will Bynum and Maurice Cheeks had gotten into an argument I thought oh no here we go again.  Since Rick Carlisle was fired after the 2002-2003 season every coach has had an issue from 1 or more players.  In 2004 they put their arguments aside and won the NBA Championship, but it has derailed more than 1 season since.

Part of the blame is on David Stern who took the Superstar benefit to a whole new level.  Stern made it so that in the NBA the name on the back of the jersey is more important than the name on the front.  That has given the players since the Bird-Magic era have huge egos.  The other thing is that ESPN has started showing High School games on television and putting the players high lights in the Top Ten.  These two factors have led to today’s players thinking they are bigger than the game and thus making them hard to coach.

That has led to one of the most turbulent decades in the history of Detroit Piston Basketball.  Earlier in this decade fans put up with this because they were in the midst of winning an NBA Championship and going to 6 straight Eastern Conference Championships.  Now however with the losing seasons adding up Fans are fed up with the same script being played out time and time again.

When Maurice Cheeks was hired, I felt like he would be the right man for the job having dealt with a similar situation in Portland but now I am questioning that opinion.  It is one thing for players to fight with each other but for a player to get in his coach’s face is just unacceptable. This season is starting to break apart at the seems to the fans dismay. To keep this season from becoming a complete disaster Joe Dumars and Tom Gores need to give Maurice Cheeks their endorsement especially since he has not played Will Bynum the last two games.

Joe Dumars has been part of the most successful teams in Piston history and it is sad to see him go out like this.  Unless something major changes over the next few months what happens but this turmoil could lead to major changes this off-season.